Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-08-01
A TALK WITH TOM POTTER.
What He Says Regarding h Union
Pacific.

What He Says Regarding the Union
Pacific.
CHICAGO, July 3l.--T. j. Potter, vice.
president and general manager of the
Union Pacific railway company, was seen
at the Pacific. Nothing TINT he dropped
IN conversation could it be surmised that
he deemed his present task OF getting the
Union Pacific: nrm on its legs more wear
ing or desperate than the work he used
TO do with such energy and success for
the BurllngtonSconlpany.szSHe talks very
hopefully about the. Union Pacificss pros
poets. He is confident, he says, that it
will very shortly come to the front again
among tbs leading and strongest roads in
the country, There's u howl from the
neWspapers,n said Mr.. Potter, s.about
the ~.,company's paying its debt to the
government, bat the debt wont be due
for ten years, and the road will take care
of IL ii it has half a chance. They've
been investigating us out there for several
weeks, but 1 don't know what the COM
Inittee proposes to do. We want to be
able to build new road on an equality
with our competitors, but now we are
Handicapped in the loan market. Other
companies are getting money at 4 per
cent, but we Can't doit because Of the
uncertain attitude Of the government to-
ward US. 10 hurts our credit. But you
may bessure that the company will get
through 1t all right, no matter what ID
done. Why, It's nm immense system.
n h way the earnings come in Is
sornething astonishing. / canftssae where
they come rom. In fact, although i
have been on the 60 atsadily for six
weeks, 1 havn't been over all the lines
yet. There are about 5000 miles in ali,
including the Oregon railway and navi.
cation company. Yes, it's q bigger and
better road than the Burlington, although
that is a mighty hard road to beats
Mr.. Potter said the corn crop In the
west, although damaged In spots, looked
tsFhim uncJmmonly promising. He was
particularly enthusiastic over tho re-
sources and growth Of Washington ter
ritory, Its hopa. cereals, and fruits. Sc
attic he considered q wonderful little
business city, having some twenty-three
dtnerent steamboat lines, although the
population WAS only about 10, COG.
Ihes Mon Pacific is building this year
Dut very little new road. In Kansas it is
running a branch from Oakley, on the
main line, twenty-five miles north ID
Colby, and Is extending the Salina, Lin.
ola d Southwestern, . proprietary line,
from Lincoln Centre sixty-fve miles
north to PlainTille. The latter line, Mr..
Potter says, runs through a very rich
country. A branch Is also being built
from Cheyenne northwest, through q
good country to the north bank Of the
Platte riyery q distance Of 1876 miles.
This branch is to be finished Sept. / and
the i,ther lines mentioned will be cSm-
f3leted before Dec. ]. Mr.. Potter said
athat the June earnings OF the Union Pa
s9cAlc were 81, 200. GOD, and he estimates
tae total gross earnings Of the entire sys-
tem this Sear gxcluding the Oregon rail-
MNay and navigation company at nearly
5sS. goo. The System is carrying q
htayier tonnage thaA last year, he says,
q rRtss have hssn rsdnced and the earn
ing tnascssrs do rot show corresponding